Mary's Writing Nook

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

Wishing all my dear blogger friends a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Nine Span Bridge

2012-02-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

This is the nine span bridge at Caledonia, Ontario. If you can't read the fine print, it says, "Caledonia's famous nine span bridge, the only one of its kind in Canada."

The bridge was built between June 7th and November 19, 1927. That was a major feat back then. The bridge, over 80 years old, is 72 feet 7 inches in length. There was a two day celebration when it was declared open my government officials.

In 1984, major work was done on the bridge to reinforce it. Motorists still use the bridge today, even though a bypass has been constructed around the city.

I remember traveling over this bridge as a child and thinking how large it was. Back in the 50s, it was the biggest bridge I'd ever seen. It was thrill to cross the arched bridge and watch the water of the Grand River flow over the dam.

The picture was probably taken in the late 50s. The area has really built up since that time, but the bridge remains.

Black History Month: John W. Jones

2012-02-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

Leesburg, VA, June 21, 1817

John W. Jones was born into slavery on a plantation belonging to the Elzy family. He worked on the plantation for 27 years, at which time he feared he would be sold by his elderly and ill master. He fled along with four other slaves.

Slave hunters found them in Maryland, but the four managed to escape. They made their way to Pennsylvania, which was a free state. Exhausted and starving, they hid in a barn belonging to Nathaniel Smith. They were found by the owner's wife and given food and a safe place to rest.

After recuperating, the slaves made their way to Elmira, NY., which was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. It was the only stop between Philadelphia and St. Catherines, Ontario, where the slaves were headed.

In 1851, Jones became an agent on the Underground Railroad of Elmira. During the next nine years, he helped 860 slaves escape. There were times he aided up to 30 runaways in one night...some in the First Baptist Church and some in his home. None of these runaways were ever captured.

Jones made an agreement with Northern Central Railroad employees in 1854. Fugitive slaves were hidden in the Freedom Baggage Car that traveled directly to Niagara Falls. Most of Jones' "baggage" was delivered to St. Catherines.

In 1847, Jones became sexton of Elmira's First Baptist Church. He kept records of the church's dead. He buried 2,963 Confederate soldiers from Elmira Prison Camp in Woodlawn Cemetery during the Civil War and kept immaculate records of these men. Only seven of these soldiers are listed as unknown. Jones received $250 for each buried soldier the government. He used the money to buy a farm on College Avenue. His house still stands on Davis Street.

Jones served as sexton of First Baptist Church for another 43 years. When he died on December 26, 1900, he was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Kobo Reader Versus Book

2012-02-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

My previous post was a book review. I had read The Help on my Kobo Reader. The book was fantastic and over the weekend, I'm hoping to see the movie, either on "Demand" tv or a rental. Maybe On Demand, since it is $2 less than the rental. Seems to make more sense and I don't even have to go out of the house to get it.

But.. back on track here. My daughter, Michelle, and her family gave me the Kobo for Christmas. I love it for the simple fact that I can easily take my book wherever I'm going. It's compact and easily kept with you. Waiting time in doctor's offices and other places is much more interesting when I have it along. Time goes much quicker.

I am having a little trouble adjusting to the Kobo. Like many who commented on the previous post, I like the feel and smell of a "real" book. Like everything else, the Kobo has its pros and cons.

I am reading a book on my Kobo right now and it's one that I had heard was excellent. For some reason I'm not really getting into it, but we'll see how it progresses as I delve deeper into it. I'm about 40% through and so far it hasn't impressed me. After this book, I have a book to review for author Darlene Franklin and so I will once again have a real book in my hands. Though I do love the Kobo, I'm looking forward to it.

Book Review: The Help

2012-01-31T16:21:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure if I mentioned that I received a Kobo* Reader from my daughter and her family for Christmas. It's amazing.

The Help is the second book I've read on the Kobo and I loved it. It takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962. It's still a time in history when Blacks are fighting for equal rights. Rosa Parks has protested, Martin Luther King is in the news on an almost daily basis and maids are good enough to raise white children, but not to use the same bathroom as their employers.

The Help is told from the viewpoint of three women, who are unforgettable. Minny is a black maid who is always losing her job because she "back talks" her employers. Aibileen has raised many white children, this being her seventeenth. Miss Skeeter is a white woman...an inspiring writer who was raised by a black maid.

Skeeter decides that she wants to write a book about the way the black "Help" is treated. She recruits Aibileen, Minny and a few other maids. She prepares and sends a book proposal to Harper and Row in New York City. To everyone's surprise, it is accepted.

This is a fantastic book. It makes you laugh, cry and feel the fear of those involved in the writing of the book. You will love some of the characters and feel despise for others.

I don't think Miss Skeeter realized the danger she was bringing upon herself and the maids until after the book was published. However, I do applaud this fictional character for doing her best to see that the maids were treated fairly and for believing that they should have equal rights.

This is a book that I recommend for everyone. If you haven't read it, check it out at your local library or book store.

2012-01-28T09:35:00.001-08:00

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapeshang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods. Modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them.

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow.. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onionslook like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells.. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Don't know why the type is large and small. Blogger is glitching again. My apologies.

Things Our Mother Taught Us

2012-01-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, ! that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Antique Scuttle Shaving Mugs

2012-01-22T02:12:00.000-08:00

At the fleamarket two weeks ago, hubby and I came across some shaving mugs. There were eight different ones and the dealer happen to see us looking at one. He offered it to us for a small discount, but I told hubby we'd pass.

Then the dealer said something that caught my ear. "Bundle." I asked him if he was interested in bundling the shaving mugs together for a better deal. The price he gave us dumbfounded me. It was a opportunity I couldn't pass up since I sell on Etsy.

We purchased all eight shaving mugs. The ones I want to show you today are the scuttle shaving mugs.

This one is a nice shape and has lovely orange flowers on both sides. It is unmarked.
This one is so pretty. It has been repaired on the bottom and is also unmarked
The above shaving scuttle mug was Made in Germany and is hand painted.
A beautiful shape and a lovely pink rose on the front. Victorian era.
The one is English and is an unusual shape. I am still researching it to see if I can find out more.

A Little History on Shaving Mugs

Scuttle mugs were first used in the beginning of the 19th century. The first patent for a scuttle mug dates to 1867.

Scuttle mugs were popular. Hard soap was placed in the soap dish portion of the shaving mug. The holes allowed the water to drain off the soap and the excess water was poured off through the mouth of the scuttle. When the person was finished shaving, the shaving brush was placed handle first into the scuttle for drying.

There are a couple of shaving mugs in this lot that I hate to part with because of the lovely hand painted flowers and the history of the mugs. The Victorian one is especially hard because my great-grandfather had one that shape and style. I can't remember any picture on it. I believe it was pure white with a bit of gold trim.

I wonder if these shaving scuttle mugs could talk, the stories they would tell. Who used them? What was their occupation? Did they have family? Any ideas of what they might tell us?

Cups and Saucer Collection

2012-01-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

I have a collection of cups and saucers. I've had these for years and have enjoyed them.

The one above with the pointer is very unusual. I do love it though.
I especially like the ones with scenery. This one is so pretty with the stream and the trees around it.
The English thatched cottage is beautiful. I could actually live there without a care in the world. I would hire a gardener though, so my garden stayed as pristine as it is in the picture.

These are three of my favorites. I will share others another time.

A Wasteful Generation

2012-01-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

I found this on Facebook and wanted to share

Checking out at the supermarket recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. I apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days“.

The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations“.

She was right about one thing–our generation didn’t have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then? After some reflection and soul-searching on “Our” day, here’s what I remembered we did have….

Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby’s nappies because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 240 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of Wales. In the kitchen, we blended & stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right. We didn’t have the green thing back then.

We drank from a water fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?

Birds in my Yard

2012-01-11T23:32:00.000-08:00

Since we've moved, I've been able to lure a few birds to my yard. A large evergreen tree hangs over the shed in the back yard. It is there that the cardinals come to rest. I don't see them often, but they are so pretty and when I do catch a glimpse of them, I'm delighted.

We have a pair of mourning doves that we put seed out for. Sometimes they come alone and sometimes they bring their friends with them. The most I've counted at one time were eight. I do like having them around.
We also get the odd blue jay. I love to hear these birds squawking and protesting. They will actually fight over the bird seed. They don't come as often as I like, but we do seem them a few times a week.
Birds bring color, song and beauty into the yard. I'm thankful for my feathered friends. I wish they would spend more time here. I'm hoping that this summer song birds will visit. I have to do more research to find out how to draw them. That's my winter project for this year.

Cole is Growing

2012-01-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

The grandsons' dog, Cole, is really growing. He is only three months old but is over 30 lbs.

Here he is relaxing. He plays hard and sleeps deep.
He's such a cutie. I love him to death. Whenever I go in the house he runs to greet me, ears flopping and tail wagging.
Chillin'. Why can't humans learn to relax as well as animals?
He loves to go outside as long as it's not windy. Michelle takes him for a couple of walks a day to help keep his energy level under control.
Mmm! Not sure what he is up to, but he does get into mischief once in a while. For his age, he is very good. He is almost fully house trained. He does have an accident now and then. He came to Mom's for Christmas dinner with the family yesterday and no problem at all. He was playing with the four little boys and I thought he would at least do an excitement pee, but no way.

He's very intelligent and catches onto things very quickly. When they picked Cole, they chose a Keeper.

Must Have Been My Guardian Angel

2011-12-30T12:55:00.001-08:00

Wow! Accident free for 25 years and it's gone down the drain. On Tuesday evening the weather was really bad. We were driving up the street and I hit some black ice. My anti-lock brakes wouldn't release and therefore I went into a skid and couldn't bring the van out of it. We were headed straight for a large utility pole. All I could think was oh, S----!

We hit the pole and I was immediately out of my seat belt and out of the van. It has a lot of damage to the front end, but thank goodness the air bag sensor wasn't hit, so they didn't deploy. I've heard of some pretty serious injuries from air bags.

Hubby didn't get out of the van immediately, so I went back to see if he was okay. He was short of breath and had pain in his left chest area. After the police had investigated, I took him to the hospital but there was an eight hour waiting time, so he made the decision to come home. Wednesday I took him to the doctor, who sent him for x-rays. He has a cracked fifth rib and is in a lot of pain.

I ended up with a lot of aches and pains in neck, shoulders, hands and my back was injured this time. I haven't seen a doctor yet but will the first of the week.

Seems odd that after 25 years, I have two accidents in one month. What are the odds of that ever happening?

Just glad we are walking. It could have been so much worse. There's a silver lining in every cloud if we just look for it. Grandma taught me that lesson well. The van is in the shop with $3100 dollars damage. However, vehicles can be replaced...people can't. We've been truly blessed this month. My guardian angel has been working overtime.

Boxing Day Post

2011-12-26T20:43:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is over for another year and this year it was a great day. We went to a friends and spent the day, then picked the boys up and they came and stayed overnight. This morning everyone slept in and then I took the boys shopping to spend their Christmas money.

This afternoon, we played Clue. Brandon couldn't get over the fact that my Clue game was purchased in 1972 for his mother. The graphics on the board are so much different than on the one they have. He said, "This game is REALLY old. I can't believe that it's in such great shape." We were minus the candlestick but the boys improvised with a DS game.

Around 3pm, we took them home and stayed to open gifts and have a bite to eat. I took chicken breast, Black Forest ham, cheese buns and kaisers. They provided cheese, crackers and all sorts of home baked goodies. It was great.

Everyone did very well. We were abundantly blessed this Christmas, not only with gifts, but the love, laughter and company of family and good friends. We hope your Christmas was as great as ours was.

2011-12-24T20:58:00.001-08:00

Another Scanned Card

2011-12-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

For your enjoyment. Feel free to download.

Downloads for You!

2011-12-22T20:36:00.003-08:00

I'm so sorry I missed a couple of days, so here are some scanned cards for your pleasure. Feel free to download them to your computer.

Just for You

2011-12-18T14:51:00.000-08:00

Please feel free to take this and the two prior ones for your enjoyment. My way of saying Merry Christmas. I will be posting a vintage postcard or greeting card that has been scanned every day from now until Christmas.

On the First Day of Christmas My True Love…

2011-12-17T21:19:00.001-08:00

The Twelve days of Christmas are between Christmas and Epiphany or “We Three Kings, The Magi or Three Wise Men Day”, January 6th. It is thought by some that it took the Three Wise Men twelve days to travel to Bethlehem. In the Catholic Church Christmas season doesn’t officially begin until Christmas Day and ends when the Wise Men bring gifts to their Savior, baby Jesus, in Bethlehem. Few practice this tradition of giving in the United States but some still do.

The Christmas carol is thought to be written by a Catholic and an Englishman, as the song originates from Great Britain, sometime before or during the 16th century. It was popular in Great Britain and Scandinavia during this time, which is why many believe that the song had a powerful sub message due to persecution. We may never know for sure but the attributed meanings are still very relevant and for those who want to teach their children a few Bible lessons, this song is a wonderful tool. I plan on teaching it to my grandchildren when they are a little older.

In the early 20th century, Frederick Austin wrote an arrangement where he added his melody from “Five Gold Rings” onwards (The New Oxford Book of Carols), which has since become the melody we know and love today.

Here are the interpretations and many churches have revised them to suit their teachings and doctrines. I have added scripture when possible to help with teaching and understanding.

My True Love — God (The Trinity – three in one) Matthew 28:19, John 10:30, John 14:6, John 17:11, 20-22, 1 John 5:7
Me — The Baptized Christian
Partridge in a Pear Tree — Jesus Christ our Savior
Two Turtle Doves — The Old and New Testaments
Three French Hens — Faith, Hope and Love (1 Corinthians 13)
Four Calling Birds — The Four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Five Gold Rings — The First Five Books of the Bible (Pentateuch)
Six Geese A-Laying — The Six Days of Creation (Genesis 1)
Seven Swans A-Swimming — The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12-14, Isaiah 11: 2-3)
Eight Maids A-Milking — The Eight Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 3-12)
Nine Ladies Dancing — The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22)
Ten Lords A-Leaping — The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 2-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21, Matthew 22: 36-40)
Eleven Pipers Piping — The Eleven Faithful Disciples
Twelve Drummers Drumming — The Twelve Points of the Apostle’s Creed, The Twelve Tribes of Israel, The Twelve Days of Christmas

Gift # 2

2011-12-17T15:35:00.001-08:00

Another gift to my friends and acquaintances. Enjoy!!!

For My Friends

2011-12-16T16:39:00.000-08:00

From now until Christmas, I'm going to be adding a few cards that I've scanned from my collection of ephemera. If you so desire, you are welcome to download them to your computer.

2011-12-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

I finally have a place to hang my McCall's Magazine reproduction cover. It is just over the dining room table. It's more like a little nook. I think she looks great there.

This particular McCall's cover is from 1936 and it was number 5, as stated in the upper right and left corners. I've had this since the 1980s but got tired of it, so put it away for a few years. I'm glad to see it gracing my home once again.

There is an great article here on the history of McCall's Magazine if you are interested.

Closing Day

2011-11-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Well, the old house will be gone by the end of the day. There will be no more playing on the hill, no more mowing the terraces. The boys will miss this old place, just as hubby and I are. It feels like we are living in a stranger's house and in a way, we are.

We have had some problems here with getting the refrigerator fixed. It is still freezing food and I'm down packs of insulin and groceries. The landlady just doesn't seem to understand that a refrigerator is a necessity of life. We have lived here since October 3, and have had a working fridge about five days out of that time, if that.

I think I've had patience with this woman up until this point. Now I'm getting really angry. It's stressing me out with all the food and insulin loss and this woman just doesn't get why I'm upset with her. She says we've had a fridge the entire time and the fridge has been here, yes, but a working fridge...no way.

We will see what happens from here. One worry off my mind by the end of the day will be the old place but come spring I expect we'll be looking for another new place.

Cole is Quite the Puppy

2011-11-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

See that look of innocence? Well, don't you believe it.

In my last post, I introduced you to Cole, Brandon and Jordan's new puppy. The first night he tested out his environment. When I took them over some newspapers and a box for him to sleep in, he was sound asleep and even when I touched him, he didn't wake up.

Just before I left, he found his feet and he was following Brandon everywhere. Jordan had gone over to his friend's house to tell him about the dog. The one thing I did see was Cole trying to get close to the cat, Ozzie, but Ozzie doesn't really trust Cole. He loved Buddy but of course he's not sure what Cole is going to do. Cole realizes that Ozzie is afraid of him and was following the poor cat all around the house. Ozzie would run and Cole would trot after him. It was hilarious to watch but poor Ozzie wasn't impressed.

Today, Michelle showed this photo of Cole on Facebook. I asked for a copy so I could post it for my readers. Cole is being quiet and he is such a beauty. Just look at those eyes. They would melt your heart.

Just before this, Michelle tried to get a photo of Cole carrying his food dish around the house in his mouth. He is quite the character. I think they should have called him Mischief. LOL

Cole is settling in nicely. Brandon has been taking him out and he is doing his business outside some of the time and inside some of the time. He's very smart and if the family aren't on their toes, he will rule the roast.

The Grandsons' New Puppy

2011-11-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

Meet Brandon and Jordan's new puppy. He was just adopted into their family tonight about 6pm and he is gorgeous.

They are trying to decide on a name. They mulled over many and the last I heard they thought they might name him Cole. Brandon liked it when his Dad mentioned it but decided he'd like the spelling Cole instead of coal.

I met him when I took a box over for him to sleep in. He will have a crate but they don't go on sale until Thursday. We had a lot of boxes here from the move. When I arrived he was sleeping like a log. He seems to be adjusting VERY well and he knows that the cat is afraid of him, so he follows it around. It's funny to watch but the poor cat is beside himself. Buddy and the cat were great friends and I'm sure these two will be as well. It will probably take a little time.

I didn't take my camera with me because I was afraid the puppy would be very nervous and didn't want the flash to frighten him. I will get some photos of him soon.

PS. Michelle just posted on Facebook that his name is Cole.

Lessons of Childhood

2011-11-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday night, Brandon and Jordan learned a lesson that many of us learned during our childhood. Their dog of 11 years, Buddy, collapsed and couldn't get up. The boys were at their friend's place and Michelle called them home. The vet said he would see the dog at 9:30.

Jordan chose to stay at home, but Brandon went along to the vets to keep Buddy company. The news wasn't good. Buddy had a giant mass in his stomach and it had ruptured. The vet offered treatment for $2,000, but even Brandon knew that it was far too much to pay when the dog was experiencing internal bleeding. He chose to have him euthanized.

Buddy died of the same thing that our Alaskan malamute, Meeko, died of. I wonder what is causing this type of cancer in dogs. Since Meeko passed two and a half years ago, I've heard of this same condition several times.

Brandon and Jordan are having a difficult time. They are missing Buddy terribly. Even I miss him. He always greeted me at the front door when I went in.

RIP, Buddy.

Bad News

2011-11-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

I always hate to share bad news on my blog. However, we got news yesterday that the financing for the house fell through. It isn't sold. :-( We were hoping to get rid of that headache but now it's back and time is short. We need prayers for a miracle.

Good news is that Jordan got a great progress report. One A, one B+ and two Bs. That's great for Jordan, as he never did well in elementary or middle school. He is certainly enjoying high school.

In other news, I had a bad touch of the flu yesterday. One moment I was fine and the next I was really quite ill. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I slept about 4 hours throughout the day and am still feeling weak this morning. It's going to be a busy day so I need to find some energy. LOL

Hope all is well you. Take care of yourself and keep your hands well washed if you are out in public. Carrying hand sanitizer isn't a bad idea. The flu season is upon us.

What's Happening

2011-10-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would post and let some of you know what's been happening. The house is sold and closing date is December 16th. It will be a relief to see it gone. Though I liked living there, it was time to move on.

We like the new house really well. It is all on one floor except our bedroom. There is a half washroom on the ground floor and a full bath on the upper. We really don't have to go upstairs during the day unless it's to put something away or to clean. Dakota is enjoying the fenced yard and has fun out there. He seems to be quite happy.

Brandon was very excited on Tuesday. He received his diploma for the Honor Roll and also his Geography Award. Along with it came a check. He has never had a check in his life, so was excited about cashing it. I think he will remember that for his entire life.

He got his progress report and it was excellent. He's doing well in all subjects, though he doesn't like his math teacher. They took away the advanced math that he's been doing for the last two years and he is bored stiff. Why they would do that is beyond me. Seems odd. Since he isn't taking any tech classes this semester, it's more difficult for him. I told him to just do it and get it over with and so did his mother. He likes gym class and science. Those are afternoon classes, so he just has to get through the mornings.

Jordan seems to be doing well in school. He hasn't got his progress report yet, but when he does, I'll update you on that as well.

A Bit of an Update

2011-10-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time to get things settled in or take any photos, but this house definitely feels like home. We had no trouble settling in and it's nice to have more space than we did for the past 20 years.

Although we dreaded the move and didn't want to leave the old place, we do like it here. There's a silver lining in every cloud if we just have the patience to look for it.

Dakota is settling in well. He absolutely LOVES the back yard. He has the odd squirrel to chase and he spends a lot of time out there. Before it got cold, windy and rainy, we just left the back door open so he could go in and out as he pleased. He has a new-found freedom here and is a different dog. He takes his ball into the yard and bounces it on the patio, then chases it and growls at it. It's a show in itself and so comical. We've had a few good laughs watching him.

There are blue jays and cardinals around here and I've been trying to lure them into the yard. So far all I've managed to lure is a mourning dove. They usually mate for life, so it's odd that there is only one. However, it is welcome to come anytime it likes.

We still have some things to get from the old house and that is bugging me, but Dwight's mother is coming in on Tuesday from New Brunswick. She wants to help us get everything finished up. It will be nice to have her visit. We don't get to see her often, but did see her in August when she was up for a month visiting friends.

That is an update for now. I've purchased two mum plants, a pot of kale and two pumpkins for the back yard. I have also taken photos that I haven't had time to post, but they are coming. Too bad we only had the mums for a day before a torrential downpour damaged them. Still, they are colorful to look at even with the damage.

Our New Back Yard

2011-10-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

We moved on Monday. The movers brought all the big furniture items. We still have a few small pieces to bring and a lot of boxes. It's very expensive to have movers, but hubby and I aren't able to lift all the heavy items. We had very little choice. Usually we just borrow a pick up truck or rent one and move ourselves. Those days are over.

I've taken some pictures of our new back yard and thought I'd share them.

Pea will love this. My fairy has a new home and she is quite comfortable there. She is a solar fairy and the little frog she is holding lights up at night. I've had her a couple of years and decided to put her in the garden for another month or so. We put all of the other lawn ornaments in the wooden storage shed at the back of the property.
Dakota had a very hard time settling in. He shook the entire afternoon and evening on Monday. He didn't want to come out of the laundry/mud room at all, but finally started to explore the house. He stuck very close to us the entire time.

As you can see, he loves the fenced back yard. At the old house he had to be tied up because the yard wasn't fenced. As you can see he is settling in nicely today. He's still sticking very close to us though, but not trembling like he was yesterday.
He likes to be in the shade and he always lies near the garden or right at the back gate.Hubby brought the fountain over today and we got it up and running. The barrel and pump fountain is stored in the wooden garage with the lawn ornaments. We will put all that out next spring.
The sedum blooming along the fence makes a beautiful showing at this time of year.
We have a nice patio area and the umbrella came with the house. The gravel area at the back used to be part of the driveway. I wish it still was. The driveway is very narrow and it's hard to back out of.

There are a few things I dislike about the house but for the most part everything is more positive. We have more cupboard space, a very large pantry, a fenced yard, lots of storage space and everything has been recently painted and updated.

I'm sure we will be happy here. The green space is limited and that was one of the things I loved about the old house. There is a large tree behind the wooden garage and I'm hoping to draw birds to the yard with a couple of bird feeders and some suet.

Under the Weather

2011-09-29T01:44:00.001-07:00

I've been under the weather since the weekend. I woke up Sunday morning with sinus problems and ear infection. Yes, it's that time of year again. It seems I get this every spring and fall. By Monday, it had moved into my chest and I was dragging. Got some packing done but felt terrible. Tuesday I got very little done. Thank goodness, hubby packed some things and I did laundry. Had a nap and went to bed early after using all of Grandma's old home remedies.

Yesterday (Wednesday) I still felt terrible and dragged pretty much all day. Again, I went to bed early and woke up about 4am and can't get back to sleep. So I thought I'd drop by and leave a note for everyone to let them know I'm resting and trying to heal.

I sure didn't have time for this with Monday being moving day. We will never be ready...BUT... the good news is we have a couple of weeks to move all the boxes over to the new place. We were going to have the movers do the entire job, but found out that it's way too expensive. I wish I was young. I'd start a moving business. At $100 per hour you couldn't go wrong.

One Week to Go!

2011-09-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

Just one week to go before the move. I'm dreading it. We took another van load of items to Bibles for Missions today and they were glad to have them. Included was clothing we no longer can wear, books, kitchen items, curtains and more. There were some things I've kept but haven't used in years. Why do we keep all this stuff. Just "in case" we might need it someday. Well, I'm hoping someone else can use it because it caused every nook and cranny of this place to be filled to over flowing. I'm not a hoarder like Mom but the tendencies are there. I'm always afraid if I get rid of things that are good that I will need them later. I hope not because now they are someone else's treasures.

Brandon came over on the weekend and mowed the lawn. Jordan came as well and helped hubby out doing a few chores. I don't see the boys as much as I used to with them being back in school, so it was nice to have them visit and spend the day.

Today was a lot of running around getting errands done. We made a run to the post office, I stopped and got the nose pieces on my glasses replaced and we did grocery shopping. About time too. We were almost out of everything. We didn't buy a lot as we don't want to move it. Just enough to do us a few days. We will buy a large order of groceries after the move.

So that brings you pretty much up to date on what's happening around here. Hope everyone is well.

Not Long Now

2011-09-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

It won't be long now until we are in the new house. Moving day is October 3rd and after that, I hope to get more photos so my readers can see more of the new house.

I dread this move. I hate moving with a passion. Packing is no fun and unpacking isn't either, so this is a trying time for me. Decluttering has been a trial and error basis. I've had some things for 20 years that I hate to part with but since they are never displayed, I've sold them or given them away. Much has gone to the charity, "Bibles for Missions." Many books, clothing that is good but no longer wearable by us, knick knacks, Christmas decorations that haven't been used for years and so much more. It will be good to have a fresh start without all that clutter.

We've been really busy and I haven't had much to blog about but have been reading your blogs even when I didn't have time to comment.

Kudos for Brandon

2011-09-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

Brandon received a notification in the mail that he is on the Honor Roll for his Grade 10 year. He also received a Geography Award. This is great news for the entire family and especially for Brandon. This is the boy who at one time couldn't cope with school at all and had meltdowns every morning because he had to go.

This year Brandon is in Grade 11. He is taking math, english, a double period of cooking class in the second semester, horticulture, world history, gym and one more that I can' remember. Here's hoping that he does well again this year. I know he is looking forward to cooking, horticulture and world history.

This Grandma is PROUD!!!

Our New Home

2011-09-06T07:46:00.001-07:00

We finally found a place to live and will be moving the first week of October. It is a frame cottage...everything on one floor except the bedroom. We have one 4 piece bath upstairs and a 2 piece bathroom downstairs, which makes it very convenient. The only time I will have to go upstairs is to clean or go to bed at the end of a long day.

The house has four bedrooms, so when the boys come to stay they can each have a room of their own. All appliances are supplied, including the microwave. The large pantry off the kitchen and numerous cupboards will give me lots of storage space. The living room/dining room is open concept. Our round oak table and chairs will fit in there perfectly.

There are laminate floors throughout, which suits me fine. I'm not a fan of carpeting. We can take Dakota and the house has been entirely renovated, painted and it's in spotless, move-in condition. There 's a small yard, a patio, a workshop and a shed.

What more could you ask for. The only thing missing will be the green space we have here. It's on a main street but there is a park two blocks away. Just hope we like it. The landlady is new to renting and the one thing that concerns me is that she thinks she can enter the premises whenever she wants. I explained that is not feasible and against the landlord/tenant laws of Ontario. Hope it doesn't cause a problem.

Sorry I haven't been around for a few days. For some reason every time I tried to log in, it took me to an error page. Glad I'm back once again.

I will post more photos after we get the key.

House Hunting

2011-08-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well, this week, along with packing, we have been house hunting. No, we are not moving in with Mom. I just wouldn't be able to take that kind of abuse all the time. This is not the mother I've known all my life. I'm suspecting that she is having dementia problems or the beginnings of Alzheimer's as my friend Sarah pointed out. Sarah is a nurse and I'm sure she could be right. The anger, the childish behavior and the way she is treating everyone is just not like her. She has a different favorite person everyday of the week.

Now, to tell you about hubby's and my experience house hunting. We have looked at about a dozen places. Out of that number, I would probably only live in two of them. One is a beautiful little cottage. It has a storage shed, a workshop, four bedrooms, a huge pantry, all appliances included and a freezer. It has lots of cupboard and storing space. It is $1050 per month. That is high for us, but it is to die for. The second place that was acceptable was a townhouse. 3 bedrooms, an unfinished basement, one full bath, two 2 piece baths, a pantry and carpeting, which I'm not keen on. Too much vacuuming, which I can't do because of my spinal injury. Hubby is not real faithful about vacuuming. We can take Dakota to both of these places.

Other places we have looked at are semi detached houses, townhouses and single family dwellings. We also looked at one apartment in a building. Most of these were more than the two above and many of them were in deplorable condition. They still want $850 to $950 a month plus utilities. In two of those places the floors were only half there, tiles were torn up, holes in the walls and other damage done by tenants. One man wanted me to move in to a place that was filthy, clean it, lay a new floor and paint the entire semi and didn't want to allow us anything on the rent. Afraid not.

So the search goes on. There is a perfect house out there for us somewhere and we're hoping it shows itself before the end of September. That is when we have to be out of here.

Going With the Flow

2011-08-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

Life is an adventure, isn't it? Well, mine has been. Seems I go from one thing to another or sometimes from ten things to another. Everything happens at once some times. What's that old saying? It never rains but what it pours?

Mom and I have been very close most of my life. We used to have the odd disagreement when I was a teen, but never since I've been an adult. Now within two weeks, we've had three disagreements and one was quiet hot and heavy. The reason for this is that Mom is having trouble downsizing her house. We've found that when her roof leaked and was replaced five years ago, that the downstairs room we were going to be using for a bedroom had never been properly cleaned. The carpet and the walls both had mold on them. We ripped up the carpet, treated the walls for mold, sealed the area, as instructed by a mold expert, and laid a beautiful new wood floor. All Mom did the entire time was criticize hubby and Brandon on the job they were doing, which was an excellent job. The room was very crooked and difficult to get perfect. Mom knows this. She and Dad practically build their home from the ground up and she knows that today's houses are not square or level. That was ignored and no one said a word.

Last week, Mom and I had words over a box of newspaper that she wanted to hoard. I told her it had to go into the garbage. That made her very angry. Now this newspaper smelled musty and was nasty. It was not something she could reuse. I took the box from her and put it into the garbage bag and she blew up.

The next disagreement was about a bunch of little fabric pieces no bigger than an inch square. She had a huge plastic bag of them. I told her they were absolutely no good. She said she knew someone who would use them and I told her to give them to that person then because she had no room for them. She won that round. They are still sitting in the family room, which is huge and it's piled halfway to the ceiling with fabric, craft items and things she will never use.

Round three was the other day when she tried to save plastic bags, greeting card boxes and more newspaper. We had quite a disagreement on that one because some of them were moldy. We also found that the laundry room has mold all down the north wall, which can be easily treated because it is cement. However, I'm to the point of giving up.

Mom wanted to stay in her home and was hoping we could help her out. I'm not sure I'm willing to do that any longer, because she is being unreasonable and not making good choices, or for that matter, any choices. She is just clinging to mildewed and moldy items and moving them from one room in the house to another. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

My Weight Battle

2011-08-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Last year I lost 26 lbs. between December and April when I had my heart attack and subsequent bypass surgery. Because I was inactive for so long during the recuperation process, I gained it all back and a few lbs. to boot. Some of it was also from water retention. We had a terrible time getting my meds right. I was either retaining fluid or I was passing out from too many meds. At this time the meds are working perfectly and I am beginning to lose weight again. Over the last few months, I have lost 6 lbs., but it's coming off very slowly. That isn't a bad thing, it's just annoying to get on the scales week after week and see no difference in the numbers. This week, however, I did lose another lb., which is great. So the battle continues. All I can do is continue to try. I'm eating better and have a lot more energy and though the lbs., are coming off slowly, I am losing inches.

Why I'm Downsizing Two Houses

2011-08-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

In the previous post I forgot to mention why I'm downsizing two houses at once. The reason is we're moving into Mom's. We will be living in the basement with a bedroom, living room, bathroom and a huge laundry room that we're hoping to divide to provide us with a kitchen. There is already a stove in there that Mom uses for making family dinners. So we will only need a refrigerator and since our stove has seen better days, we won't be taking it. We will also sell our washer and dryer that is old. Mom's is only a few years old.

It's been most difficult getting Mom to part with any of her hoard. Her house is not dirty but she has stacks of fabric as described in the last post. She was brought up during the depression and saves everything, as she was taught to. String, plastic bags and everything else that she might need is saved. I have talked her into parting with some of the stuff.

The thing that really scares me is that Mom hoards food. Her freezer is full to the brim and much of it is freezer burned. She cooks that and eats it and this frightens me. Who knows how long it's been there? I told her I was cleaning it and the freezer in the refrigerator out when I got moved in and she was a little put-out. I explained that she couldn't eat this stuff and she told me she's been doing it for year. I explained that I'm not having people say that I lived there and she ate food that wasn't healthy. She stopped arguing at that point. Between us we can manage just fine financially by sharing costs.

The other reason we are moving in with Mom is because she is getting really forgetful. Twice lately she's had a fire on the stove and I found out when we were discussing bills and how we would split the cost that she's been paying two companies for her hot water tank. I'm not sure how that happened, nor do we know how long she's been doing that. I'm wondering what else she is paying that she shouldn't be. Time will tell.

It's not going to be easy living with Mom. Since her last stroke she has changed. Always the easy going person, she has become assertive and stubborn. This isn't the Mom I've always known and it will be a challenge for me as well as for hubby.

Another thing I dislike about the move is that we're moving from a really green area with a park across the street, a creek and lots of animals and birds. Mom's is in the north end of the city and is supposed to be the better part of town, yet there is no green space near her and all you see when you look out the window is buildings. Not my choice but sometimes in life we have to accept change that we don't like. This will be quite an adventure.

Today I will be stripping wallpaper at Mom's. I wish you were here, Pea, to lend me a hand. LOL I've rented a steamer though, so it shouldn't be too bad. I will try to remember my camera and tell you all about it.

Downsizing Two Houses

2011-08-11T00:47:00.001-07:00

Downsizing one house isn't bad enough but right now we are downsizing two. I have my own to do, since we will be moving after 20 years and I also have Mom's to help with. Mom and her friend have been working at it but hubby, Brandon and I got more done yesterday than they have in a week. Mom tries to pour over every tiny bit of paper that she finds. I've told her that she just doesn't have time. She had a box of receipts from 1990.

I don't like to rush her, but time is of the essence. Mom is a kind of hoarder. Some of the boxes have not been unpacked since she moved there 18 years ago. She just bought more stuff and piled it in one of the bedrooms in the basement.

Mom mostly hoards fabric. That room is 12 x 12 and it was piled to the ceiling and out to the door with fabric. Many boxes said, "Do Not Touch." There were pieces of fabric in some of those boxes that have been there for almost 50 years. I couldn't believe it when I found pieces of fabric that she'd used for my dresses when I was a child.

Good thing that all of this vintage fabric is in excellent condition. I've washed some of it, pressed it and listed it in my Etsy shop. I have shipped some as far away as Japan and have had inquiries from Spain and Singapore.

Please wish me luck in getting all of this done by the time we are supposed to move, which is approximately mid-September to the first of October.

Update on Brandon

2011-08-07T03:04:00.001-07:00

Just letting everyone know that Brandon is healing nicely and still taking his antibiotics. He is back to normal and says it no longer hurts at all. It was a little sensitive for a few days. And life goes on... Just seemed very odd that something like that could happen. I've never heard of such a thing before.

Happy Sunday. Enjoy!!!

Prayers for Brandon

2011-08-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

Please keep Brandon in your prayers. Two days ago, he told me his stomach hurt just above his navel. I looked at it but couldn't see anything amiss. It did feel a little hard in that spot, so told him just to be careful. His mother and I wondered if he had a hernia.

That night, his navel started oozing and the next morning it had really drained overnight. There was a bit of blood in the drainage. I became a little concerned and thought he should see a dr. His mother thought he'd had a boil that had ruptured. She took care of it, cleansing and drying it. It was a little red in the area, but not much and no red streaks that would have indicated blood poisoning.

Today she had a doctor's appointment and she took Brandon with her. Seems that he had a scratch inside his navel that became infected. The doctor gave him an antibiotic and some anti fungal cream. He is to clean the area and apply it to keep the infection from spreading while the antibiotic does its work.

Prayers are very much appreciated. I have never heard of such a thing before and imagine that it may have been scratched by something while he was doing yard work the other day. Thanks.

Playing with a Robin

2011-07-28T17:42:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure if this little girl is watching a robin or if it's a bluebird or maybe some other kind of bird, but the one I interacted with tonight was indeed a robin.

I was watering the plants outside with the hose and trying to revive our burned out lawn. I was swishing the hose back and forth on the grass when a plump, male robin landed and began pecking at the grass. I figured the water had called an earthworm to the top of the soil and Mr. Robin was trying to make a feast of it.

I very gently moved the hose so the water would land near the robin. When I did instead of him moving away, he moved right into the spray. I kept the hose still and let him have a bath. It was a hot day today and I figured he needed to cool off.

We played a game for a while. I would move the hose and he would hop into the spray. I would move it back and he would follow. He looked right at me and knew that I was there. Dakota was also outside lying beneath the stairs that goes to the upstairs apartment. The robin didn't seem to mind that either of us were close by.

For about ten minutes we played the game and then I guess Mr. Robin had cooled off because he spread his wings and flew onto the railing of the neighbor's porch. What an awesome experience it was getting so close and knowing that the bird was enjoying our time of interaction.

Interesting Results

2011-07-27T20:54:00.002-07:00

Twice now I've tried to post the results of a test I took, "Who Do You Write Like?" Both times the html didn't work, but I was surprised at the results. It said I write like Margaret Mitchell. Wow! I wish I could write a novel like "Gone with the Wind." I would be ecstatic. I've written a novel but try as I may, I've never been able to get it published. Maybe one day.

If you'd like to see who you write like, give it a try at this link. It's very interesting.

http://iwl.me/

Business is Slow

2011-07-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last year hubby and Brandon started a lawn mowing and yard cleaning business. Over the summer they made quite a bit of money, so this year they decided to try it again. Brandon is learning a lot by taking part in all aspects of the business. He helps give free estimates, helps do the work and the cleanup. He is also learning that things don't always go the way you'd like them too.

These photos are of Brandon earlier this year mowing our lawn. He does a great job and has come a long way since he started last year. At that time he'd never mowed a lawn.

This year hasn't been as good as last year. In the photos, you'll notice how green the lawn was earlier in the year. Now it is brown and almost burned out. There is a ban on watering because we haven't had more than a few drops of rain since mid June and water levels are low. He hasn't mowed our lawn in a month and if it's cooler next week he may have to do it.

Jobs are very scarce this year. Though we have regular customers, no one is having their yard mowed because the grass just isn't growing. In April and May, the guys were run off their feet with yard cleaning and grass mowing and it was difficult to fit it all in because there was so much rain.

Brandon is learning the ups and downs of a job where you depend on the weather. If it's too wet, they can't fit the jobs in. If it's too dry, there is nothing to do. A good lesson to teach him that in business you need to save your hard earned dollars for the hard times. In fact, it's a good life lesson.

The Mohawk Chapel

2011-07-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Carole from Pea's Corner and her friend, Steve, came to our part of Ontario on their way to Niagara Falls. The first day we took them to Port Dover for lunch and a stroll around the beach. Then we visited the Mohawk Chapel before going out to dinner. It was a great day and Pea has it all recorded on her blog.

This photo wasn't taken on the day that we visited, but it is a nice photo of the Chapel, which was the first Protestant church in Upper Canada and the oldest surviving church in the entire province of Ontario. It was originally named St. Paul's and is the only Royal Chapel in North America.

During the American Revolution, Joseph Brant and members of the Mohawk tribe sided with the British. The Chapel was given to the Mohawks for their loyalty when it was built in 1795. This was to help compensate for the lost land in New York that came about because of their loyalty to Britain. They were also given 760,000 acres along the Grand River from the source to the mouth.

The Chapel is a very interesting place to visit. The pews are hewn from wood and the beautiful stained glass windows are breath taking. They tell the story of Joseph Brant bringing his people from the US to Upper Canada. No photos are allowed inside the Chapel so unfortunately I can't show you the beauty of the entire place.

If you are in the area of Brantford, Ontario. Be sure to stop and visit the Mohawk Chapel. Joseph Brant and his son are buried here and there is an early Native cemetery surrounding the church.

Do You Remember Woolworth's

2011-07-02T18:23:00.001-07:00

Do you remember Woolworth's? I certainly do.

In my last post I told you a bit about the Farmer's Market that was located in a square in the center of our town. Right across the street was Woolworth's. We often went there when I was young. As a child, one of the things I loved to do was ride the escalator. Other stores in town had elevators, but the escalator was so much more fun.

Woolworth's was what they called a five and dime and there were bargains galore to be had every time we came to town. It was a very popular store and always busy.
As a teenager, I used to love to stop by the soda fountain and restaurant on a Saturday morning. Fountain Coca Cola was the best. Ice cold on a hot summer day, it went down smooth and I always found it refreshing. We seldom got soda pop of any kind, so having a few cents to buy a Coke, as we called it, at Woolworth's was a lot of fun and a real treat. The odd time we had enough to get a grilled cheese or another treat off the menu, but that didn't happen often.

I grew up and got married and it was still fun to shop at Woolworth's and stop by the soda fountain for a Coke. For years it was a regular stop, though I seldom had the money to buy much. It was still fun to ride the escalator and stop by for a Coke.

When my current husband and I were newly married, Woolworth's was still there, but shortly after the store became Woolco. After a couple of years it closed when it was taken over by Walmart. Today, I seldom go to Walmart. It just isn't the same and the clerks are rude, as is the manager. When it opened, it ended an era of great customer service and soda fountain Cokes. Sad in a way, but I will always have the memories.

What are your memories of Woolworth's? Please post in the comment area. I would love to hear what made this five and dime special to you.

The Market Square Curse

2011-06-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

When I was young, we used to go to town on Saturday's. The Farmer's Market was the place to go to find bargains and to congregate and socialize with friends and neighbors, as well as meet new friends.

The above picture is of the City Hall section of the Market Square as I remember it as a child.
This is a much earlier photo of the Farmer's Market which was located on the south side of the Square.
The above photo is a very early one of the Market Square. This was situated on Native Land and was a meeting place for whites and Natives to meet and trade or sell goods.

During the early 1960s, the City of Brantford decided that this place was no longer a good fit and closed the Farmer's Market. At that time the land should have reverted back to the Native Peoples of the area, as that had been the agreement. Instead, the City paved the land and made it into a parking lot and installed parking meters.

The Native Band Council went after the monies that were collected from the parking lot and eventually won that battle, but the City wasn't about to give back the land. Instead, a mall was built on the property and the T. Eaton Company leased space there, as did several other retailers.

Before Eatons and the other retailers even moved into the mall, Mrs. Green, from the Six Nations Reservation, put a curse on the land. Eatons survived only a few years and then moved out of the mall. Many other businesses failed as well. Business carried out in the mall has never been successful. There is only two stores that I have knowledge of having prospered. One is a dollar store and the other is a gift and clothing shop.
This is the mall as it appears today, except the movie marquee is no longer there. Twice movie theaters have tried to do business at the mall and have offered minimal fees to attend. Even at $3 a ticket the theaters couldn't survive.

Is this white elephant in the center of the city a disaster because of lack of business from the people who frequent the downtown, or is it Mrs. Green's curse that causes business after business to fail? I would love to hear your opinion.

Grandma's Wood Stove

2011-06-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

I had someone ask in the comment section of the previous post "whatever became of the wood stove."

So many delicious foods were served straight from Grandma's wood stove. Bread pudding, cake doughnuts, meats, vegetables, soups and stews of all kinds. Buttermilk biscuits, clover leaf buns, homemade bread and so much more. Grandma was a fantastic cook and everything that was served at the table tasted so much better because of that wood stove.

At breakfast every morning, Grandma served two kinds of meat, fried potatoes, biscuits fruit. We were farmers and the men folk worked hard from dawn to dusk. They needed three full meals a day.

When Grandpa got a notion in his head to buy three farms and move to central Ontario, things changed. They did take the wood stove with them but after two years, they decided to divide the large house so my uncle and his family could live in the other half. At that time the wood stove had to go, as there was no place for it anymore. Grandma wasn't happy. She did have an electric stove by that time, but she much preferred to cook on the old wood stove.

Things never tasted quite as good coming from the electric stove and today I still miss the taste of the delicious food that came from that old wood stove.

Grandma's Bread Pudding

2011-06-08T17:16:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while I get a hankering for some of Grandma's comfort food. Today I was given 2 loaves of cinnamon bread. As soon as I saw it I knew that it would be great for bread pudding.

Grandma cooked all of her treats in a wood stove when I was young. Nothing ever tasted as good as the treats that came out of that old stove's oven. We always looked forward to something tasty and Grandma knew how to make things that tasted good and went far. After all, she had a big family.

I'd like to share Grandma's recipe for bread pudding. Try it! It's delicious.

Bread Pudding

6 slices of bread or cinnamon bread
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup raisins
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Break bread into small pieces into an 9 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. Sprinkle with raisins.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and almond or vanilla extract. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the an inserted knife comes out clean.

Campbell's History

2011-06-07T14:37:00.002-07:00

Do you remember the Campbell's Kids. When I was young, there were all kinds of ads in magazines that showed this delightful duo.
Today I happened upon a website that gave the history of Campbell's Soups. I found it quite interesting and thought that I'd share.

In 1869, right after the Civil War, Joseph Campbell was a fruit vendor. He partnered with Abraham Anderson, an icebox manufacturer to start the Anderson and Campbell Preserve Company in Camden, New Jersey.

It wasn't long until the men realized they had completely different visions of what the company would become. Campbell bought out Anderson and created more products including mustard, salad dressing, ketchup and tomato soup made from Beefsteak tomatoes. The soup became a best seller for the company.

In 1894, Joseph Campbell retired and turned the company over to Arthur Dorrance, who hired his nephew, John, who had a chemistry degree. He was paid $7.50 per week, which was terrific money for the time period. John realized that he could make condensed soup by removing the heavy water and soup prices went from 30 cents a can to 10 cents. The soups were the biggest sellers that the company had and in 1922, the name of the company was changed to Campbell's Soup Company.

In 1904, Grace Weiderseim Drayton, who was an illustrator, sketched illustrations for an ad campaign for the Company. She added children to her husband's advertising layout for Campbell's Condensed Soup. The Company loved them and many of us are familiar with the Campbell Kids.

Today Campbell's Soups are used in baking and are a staple of the American culture. Do you still use Campbell soup. I do.

Canadians on D-Day

2011-06-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

June 6, 1944 is now known as D-Day and is often referred to as, "The Longest Day." On that day, the Allied Forces stormed the beaches of France in order to shove back the Germans. Canadians made it into Caen, which is 15 miles from the beach.

Approximately 360 Canadians died and 570 wounded on D-Day. Lest We Forget~!

Update: If you get a chance to watch the show, "Storming Juno," be sure to watch it. It gives an account of the operation and there are live testimonies from some of the survivors. Of 16,000 men who landed, over 1,000 were killed.

Crazy Weather

2011-06-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

The weather we've been having this spring has been unpredictable and a bit crazy. Two weeks ago, it rained for days and we saw very little sunshine. Then it cleared up for a few days and rained again for days on end. This past week has been a little better and though it was below average temperatures, it suited me fine. There was a couple of days of showers but for the most part its been in the mid 70s with sun or variable cloudiness.

Saturday morning we had severe thunderstorm warnings and torrential rain. The afternoon brought the sun and mid 70 temperatures. It was a beautiful day. This morning I went out at about 6:45 am and it was cool, but beautiful. The day progressed with lots of sunshine but this afternoon was warmer than I like and just a bit humid. The prediction for the coming week is hot and humid, which is something that I don't want. I can't stand the heat and the humidity just makes it all that much worse.

It's certainly been a strange spring as far as weather goes. The farmers don't have their crops in because it's been too wet. Now the rest of the summer is to be hot and dry, which doesn't bode well for crops either. This makes me cringe as I can see the food prices increasing drastically.

Oh and Edmonton, Alberta is to get snow later this week. Go figure.

Sunset

2011-06-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I enjoy writing a bit of poetry. This is one of my early writings.

SUNSET

The sun sinks low on the horizon,

Giving off a golden glow.

Shadows dance upon the ripples

As the waves to shore do flow.

Reflections show the sun's real beauty,

In the shadows of the night.

As the screaming gulls head shoreward,

Shimmering wings in natural light.

Waves are lapping, oh, so gently,

As I walk upon the sand.

Make the most exquisite music,

Part of nature's wondrous band.

How I love to walk the shorline,

When the sun is sinking low.

Seeing all of earth's raw beauty,

This is nature's greatest show.

2011-05-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

When I was in elementary school, we were required to memorize a poem each week. Today when I was visiting Hootin' Anni, the title of her post reminded me of one of those poems.

My Shadow
by Robert Louis Stevenson

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes goes so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close behind me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

I hope you enjoyed it. Possibly it even brought back a memory of your school days.

The Old Don Jail

2011-05-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

The above photo shows the Old Don Jail on the left. The New Don Jail on the right.

The Old Don Jail

Known throughout Ontario as the the "Don Jail" the Toronto Jail has housed the some of most notorious criminals in Canadian history. It is located on the Don Jail Roadway, near the intersection of Broadway and Gerrard Street East in Toronto.

The jail opened in 1864 and pre-dates Canadian Confederation. It was designed by renowned architect, William Thomas, who came to Toronto from England in 1843.

Cells in the "old" Don Jail were cramped, measuring only 40 inches wide by 10 feet long and were designed to hold only one prisoner. The capacity at the jail was 275 prisoners. In its hey-day, the "old" Don Jail was one of the finest in the Canada. The prisoners were incarcerated in the cell block 23 hours a day and spent one hour in the exercise yard. Talking was punishable by flogging. The jail included a "Death Row," and 34 men were hanged there.

In the beginning, hangings were open to the public and took place in the courtyard. The jail actually sold tickets to the event. After one badly botched hanging, laws in Canada were changed. In 1869, public hangings were abolished in Canada. It took until 1905 for the gallows at the Don Jail to be moved inside to a converted washroom.

Thirty of the men who were hung in the Don Jail were convicted of murder. Four were convicted of rape. The last execution took place in Canada on December 11, 1962 at the Don Jail.

A new east wing was added to the Don Jail in 1958. It became known as the "new" Don Jail. No criminal in his right mind wanted to be held there. The average stay was 30 to 90 days because this new jail only housed those who were awaiting trial or those waiting for arraignment. Many men plead guilty to crimes to avoid being sent to the Don Jail.

In 2003, the Don Jail was deemed unfit by Justice Richard Schneider. It no longer met the requirements of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners that was set by the United Nations.

The Don Jail was officially closed in 2009. It will be forever remembered for its reputation by those who lived in Ontario while it remained open.

The historical "old" Don Jail's beautiful architecture will not be lost. It is to be integrated into a 12 storey hospital that will be run by Bridgepoint Health.

Behind the Old Don Jail was a cemetery that is now known as The Executioner's Graveyard, but that is another story.

The Most Depressing States in the USA

2011-05-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

I was doing a bit of surfing tonight and found a most interesting article on the most depressing States in the US.

Arkansas - This State ranks high on the list and rates as one that has a high rate of depression, especially among young people.

Indiana - A sluggish economy, high unemployment, and massive budget shortfalls contribute to the depression in this Rust Belt State.

Kentucky - Rates of depression and other mental-health problems are higher than the national average throughout the mountainous and sparsely settled region known as Appalachia. They are higher still in the coal-mining areas of central Appalachia, which includes most of eastern Kentucky. Unemployment and drug abuse escalate the problems of the people living in this region.

Michigan - Few states have been as battered by the economic downturn as Michigan. With unemployment as high as 20% in some counties, it’s not surprising that residents might be feeling distressed.

Mississippi - The poorest state in the U.S., Mississippi ranks at or near the bottom on many health measures, from obesity to heart disease. Mental health is no exception. The state has the highest rate of depression in the nation (14.8%), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and it has the third-highest rate of frequent mental distress (13.5%)

Missouri - Missouri isn’t at the bottom of the barrel in any one measure of mental health, but it gets very low marks in several areas, including the rate of serious psychological distress (13%).

Fortunately for residents, the Show-Me State has had a proactive approach to preventing and treating mental-health problems. In 2008 it began a pilot program to integrate primary care and mental health care.

Nevada - For out-of-state visitors, Nevada often evokes images of gambling, partying, skiing, and other carefree diversions. For those who live there, the reality is often quite different. Nevada has high rates of mental distress, and, at last count, about 1 in 11 residents had experienced at least one episode of major depression in the previous year.

Oklahoma - Maybe it’s the flat, barren landscape and threat of severe weather; maybe it’s the high poverty rate (16%) and low rates of health-insurance coverage. For whatever reason, the Sooner State ranks in the bottom five of every category we considered. Even the official state rock song is depressing.

Tennessee - It may not be a coincidence that Memphis and Nashville are famous, respectively, for their blues and heartsick country music. By one measure, Tennessee is the unhappiest state in the union: Nearly 10% of residents have experienced an episode of major depression in the previous year.

Like Mississippi, Tennessee also has high rates of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, the stress of which can worsen depression. As many as 70% of Tennesseans who see a primary care physician for obesity, diabetes, or hypertension meet the criteria for depression, anxiety, or other mental disorders, the state’s mental health commissioner has estimated.

West Virginia - The Mountain State is ranked last or next-to-last in every mental-health category on our list, including the average number of "mentally unhealthy" days residents have per month and the percentage of people who experience frequent mental distress (15%).

One reason may be that roughly two-thirds of West Virginians live in rural areas, where both steady jobs and access to mental health care can be hard to come by.

A Wake Up Call

2011-05-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading this blog post by my friend Ms. Kathleen of A Picturesque Life. and it was a wake up call. Kathleen has mentioned that she wasn't a hoarder like you see on tv, but had trouble letting go of things. I have the same problem and I'm glad she brought it up. There's so many things that I think about getting rid of and then think, "Well, maybe one of the grandsons or my daughter would like it, or maybe even my niece."

Since I sell vintage items in my Etsy shop I do have things in my house temporarily until they sell. They are fairly organized in boxes or on shelves and they are not as much the problem here as the things that are personally mine and hubby's. Every time I think of getting rid of something I think about the person who gave it to us or think about where it came from. I tend to hang on to these types of things for sentimental reasons...but....does anyone else really care where the Circus World plate came from or the Southern Belle Depression Glass lamp? Both of these particular items have been collecting dust for years. Why am I keeping them? I do love the lamp, but have no special attachment to the plate. Then there are the President plates that I bought in the late 70s and early 80s when I was vacationing in the US.

I have gotten rid of many of the things that I've collected over the years but can't bear to give away gifts that people have given to us. I guess I'm afraid their feelings would be hurt if they visited and found that I had given these things away. On the other hand, like Kathleen asks, would they even remember? They might if they actually saw the item on display, but they might not.

Thanks, Kathleen, for giving me a wake up call. I think there will be a few more things listed in my Etsy shop if we ever get enough sunshine to take photos.

About Smoke Detectors, Fires and Tragedies. Prayers are Needed

2011-02-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

We were talking about smoke detectors earlier today... about how a family that was burned out of their home, lost their son and all of their pets, had no working smoke detectors. This brought back a memory to me of the old woodstoves that heated the homes of our parents and grandparents.

I remember once when I was very young, watching Dad put out the fire in our old woodstove because the stove pipes were red hot. He had just finished and stepped away when the stove pipe collapsed. Hot soot went everywhere. Once it had cooled and he had swept it up, he was able to put the stove pipes back together and wire them to the ceiling. What a mess. Mom spent the next two days cleaning soot from everything in that kitchen and soot is not easy to clean up.
It leaves an oily film that's very difficult to remove. But Mom used her Lest*oil and did a fine job.

Back in the day, there were no such thing as smoke detectors. Luckily, we never had a fire, but I remember that close call so many years ago. If it hadn't been caught in time, our woodframe house would have went up like a tinder box.

Today, we have hot-wired smoke detectors in our house. They are wired to a separate panel than the rest of the house and they have battery backup in case of a power outage. Yet in this day and age, there is a less possibility of fire than there was back when I was a child and everyone had woodstoves.

Please remember to keep the batteries in your smoke detector changed every six months. It is far less costly than losing your home, pets or loved ones.

Please keep Lucinda and her family in your prayers. The funeral for their 11 year old son was today. He was overcome by the smoke in the upstairs hallway and succumbed to the smoke. His mother, father and 17 year old brother are overwhelmed with grief.

The Old Home Place

2011-02-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

The winter months are long and it's almost a year since I've had anything to really blog about. First it was the heart surgery, then Mom's subsequent illnesses and stays in hospital and then...winter. I am like an old bear in winter. I like to hibernate and stay in the house where it's warm. But yesterday I had to go out and even though it was minus 25 Celcius with windchill, it was a lovely winter day if you were in the sun and out of the wind.

I was thinking this afternoon about something to share with all of my followers. I remembered taking some photos of the old home place in the summer of 2009. I've written many times about childhood memories and thought maybe you'd like to see the property where it all occurred.

This was my parent's home until about 2005, When I was young, it didn't look like this. Basically when Mom & Dad were married, he bought a three room shack that had been a hired hands house. Dad & Mom, with the help of us kids, dug the basement and added on to the house. This is what it looks like today. The pine tree and shrubs weren't there when I was young and this yard, that consisted of an entire acre, is where the three of us, my older brother, myself, and my younger sister, spent out time playing as kids.

This was my grandparent's home and it now belongs to my aunt. To the left is my parent's home. I would run across the field in between to Grandma's to help her cook, bake and anything else she wanted a hand with. I spent many happy hours in the kitchen of this home, which was through the double windows. Now, that is a sitting room and the kitchen is the window at the extreme left. The small window in the middle was Grandma's pantry and is now a bathroom.

And the barn, which is to the right of Grandma's house. It was in much better condition when I was young, of course. I heaved bales of hay into the top of this barn. The metal granary wasn't there back then. To the left, the roof you can see was the horse barn. The right hand side of the barn was the barnyard, where we let the cows out after they were milked by hand. There was a pond in that barnyard that was filled with ducks, geese, goslings, ducklings, frogs, tadpoles and a host of other creatures. Lightning bugs were everywhere. We spent many an evening racing through Grandma's yard, jars clutched tightly in our hand, in an attempt to catch these allusive insects.

That's just a glimpse into the place where I grew up. There are so many more memories that come to mind when I look at these pictures. I hope you enjoyed coming with me for a stroll down Memory Lane.

It's Been A While

2011-01-29T18:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I blogged again. I'm not sure where the time goes.

It was bitterly cold here for a few days. Now it's warmed up to the freezing mark and it actually feels balmy. It won't be long now until we see the first signs of spring. February is a short month and I'm glad. In March the snowdrops and crocus should begin to bloom. I can't wait to get out in the garden. I didn't get to do anything at all outdoors last year. I was still recuperating from the heart surgery. This year I can do so much more than I've been able to for a long time...at least I hope so and am going to give it a good try.

Hubby's van broke down one of the nights it stormed. Thank goodness he was only nine blocks from a service station. This time it was the alternator. The tow truck cost $100 and that was a shocker. We haven't needed a tow truck for years, so had no idea the cost. Then the alternator for a refurbished installed was $307. That knocked our socks off again. Thank God for angels of mercy here on this earth.

Brandon is off school until next Friday. He tried his end of semester exams this Wednesday and Thursday. He has an entire week off of school and he is happy about that. Jordan is jealous. He is in grade 8 and so he has to go every day except for Thursday when the teachers have meetings all day.

Other than that, no other big news here. Life isn't very exciting during the winter months. I'm hoping to get by and visit all of you soon.

What's Happening

2011-01-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

Life has really been quite boring here lately. Nothing much happening and so, nothing much to blog about.

I've been making some new cards for my Etsy shop and this is one of them. Actually, this was my first try. I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. As some of you know, I love vintage ephemera and am always looking for a new way to use it.

The starter went on hubby's van last fall and we had a used one put in because it was so much cheaper...well, that was his outlook on it anyway. Me, I'm not so thrilled about used car parts, especially starters. Well yesterday the starter went again. Since it's been 2 months since the last one was put in, it wasn't guaranteed. He had the garage put another used one in. Price tag $75 for the starter. At least the fellow didn't charge us any labor, which was good. He could have. A smart business man looking to keep his customers. It didn't take him long, but am glad he installed it free of charge.

The boys haven't been doing much. Last Saturday they came over, but we didn't get to play any games. They went and shoveled Mom's driveway and sidewalk for her. Then we took a camera back to Wal-mart for her and boy, that is the last time I'll shop in that store. Might try the one a little further away, but the attitude of their workers is something to be desired. Even the manager was rude. I've found this in that particular store before and don't shop there myself. Only went there for Mom. Never again.

That's about all the news from here. We had one snow storm last week that dropped about 4 inches on top of the two inches we already had, but nothing serious. All around us this winter there have been storms that left a huge amount of snow. It seems to go all around us but am expecting we will get dumped on later this month or the first couple weeks of February. We usually do. Right now it's cold here and the temperatures are to continue dropping for a few days.

Mom is down sick again. This time with a bad cold and lung infection. Seems she gets this every year at least once and oftimes twice...spring and fall. She is improving though since the dr gave her antibiotics.

Looking forward to visiting everyone soon.

Prayer for Fallen Police Officer's Family

2011-01-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

Please pray for the family of fallen Toronto police officer, Sgt. Ryan Russel. Sgt. Ryan Russell, an 11-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service was killed today when a man stole a snow plow and went on a rampage. Russell leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old son. The former member of the guns and gangs task force, promoted to sergeant at downtown's 52 Division about six months ago, is the son of a former Toronto police officer. He will be missed by both his immediate family and his police family.

For more information on the tragedy, click HERE

A Fun Afternoon With the Grandsons

2011-01-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

The grandsons came over today about 1pm and Brandon brought his Nin*tendo Monopoly with him. We gave him this for Christmas. He collects Monopoly games and this is about his fifth or sixth. He loves Monopoly and while I got them a bite of lunch, they sat up the board. We had a lot of laughs while playing but after 4 hours the boys whipped me. I was down on my luck and out on the street.

The boys continued to play for about another half hour. When Jordan had stacked up $10,000 Monopoly dollars, Brandon surrendered. It had been 4 hours since we started the game. Brandon said his butt was sore from sitting for so long. This is not an easy task for him. Like me, he isn't still for long.

So, Jordan won and had stacks of money. He was ecstatic. It was a fun afternoon. After we ate, Brandon said he couldn't keep his eyes open and asked to go home. So at 6:30 pm, I dropped them off. Next week maybe we will play Clue or Scrabble for a change. We try to make a game date about once a week.

In other news, my battle of the bulge continues. If you recall, this was my New Year's resolution last year. I did great and lost 26 lbs by April. Then I had the heart attack and subsequent bypass surgery. For months all I did was sit around because I couldn't do much. Well, I'm feeling great, doing more than I've done in years and the battle of the bulge continues. I have lost 2 lbs this week, which I'm more than happy with.

So fun with the boys and weight loss is on my list. What does your family do for fun and bonding? I would love to hear your New Year's resolution.

A Noisy but Delightful Visitor

2011-01-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

This little guy is beating his brains out on a tree in the park across the street. He is a downy woodpecker and there are quite a few around this area. I hear and see them every day and though they are noisy, they are delightful. It doesn't bother me one bit that they drum on the tree at the end of the driveway or fly about chirping on a sunny winter day.

I love birds and we put suet feeders out for them in the winter months. The first one we attached to a shrub at the back of the house. The next morning we found it on the ground, squashed flat as a pancake and the suet missing. Raccoons! So, the other day when I was at Home De*pot, I picked up another one and filled it with suet. Hubby attached it to the awning of the front window out of reach of squirrels and raccoons.

We also have blue jays, cardinals, red polls and a variety of other birds in the neighborhood and I never tire of seeing and hearing them at any time of day. Birds bring color and nature's music into our yards during the dreary winter months.

In other matters, Mom has been having some problems again with UTIs and spent one afternoon at the hospital and one at the walk-in clinic. She is now on her second round of antibiotics. These ones seem to be working well.

Hubby had the flu last week and he was really sick. I'm not sure how, but I avoided it. I felt a little queasy for a day or two but nothing major. I slept quite a bit and that seemed to do the trick. We are both doing okay right now. Hubby seems to have fully recovered.

Happy New Year!!!

2010-12-30T09:50:00.001-08:00

To all my friends and acquaintances, I send you these wishes for a Happy New Year!

May peace break into your home and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy! May the problems you had, forget your home address! In simple words may 2011 be the best year of your life! Happy New Year!

2010-12-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

And this shall be a sign...You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
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We had a quiet day here today. There was just hubby and I. We cooked a small turkey with all the trimmings and it was delicious. Then we watched Christmas movies and Old Dogs on tv. We enjoyed Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief and just lazed around.

Last night, we went to Michelle's for Christmas Eve dinner. Roast beef and all that goes with it was the menu. Then they laid out a spread of cheese, crackers, pickles and Christmas treats. We opened gifts and had a great time. This year most of the gifts were just token gifts, as this has been a hard year for us all. Somehow it was better because the focus was on enjoying each other's company and not on gifts. Barry's parents and my mother joined in the celebration. The boys got hoodies and a book from hubby and I. No expensive games or gaming systems.

Hubby and I got a gift card for Swiss Chal*et from Barry, Michelle and the boys. But Christmas isn't over for us. We will have another celebration at Mom's on New Year's Day. That is when she has hers so everyone can enjoy Christmas with their immediate family. She's done this for several years.

I hope that all my blogging friends and acquaintances had a wonderful Christmas. I would love to hear all about how you celebrated with your families and the traditions that have been handed down from one generation to another. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

New Kitchen Floor

2010-12-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

Some of you may remember that last spring, just before I had my heart attack that we put in a new kitchen ceiling. Since I wanted the kitchen to be red and white with a black and white kitchen floor, we painted the metal strips between the ceiling tiles a dark red.

Below is a photo of the floor that we've worn out over the last 18 years. It wasn't new when we bought the house and over the years, it lost the pattern. I never did like the parquay looking tiles much. It made the kitchen way too dark. There are only two windows in that room and one of them faces the porch, so not much light comes in there. The other is a north window, so not much light from there either. We needed something to make the room brighter.

The new floor was delayed until December 16th, which didn't make me real happy. The flooring company forgot to order it and then told me it wouldn't be laid before Christmas. That got my backbone up a little because it was originally to be laid during the second week of December. Because all of the appliances would have to be moved into the living room, I was unable to do any decorating until the floor was down.

On December 16th, last Thursday, the men arrived an hour late. He told me that instead of taking up all the old flooring, as they'd said they would be, they were going to put mahogany sheeting over the existing floor. See the mahogany sheeting above.

It took them until 4pm to get everything done, but above, a photo of the new floor.

Here is another. This one is the opposite way of the room. It looks great and is bright and makes the room more inviting. The yellow cast is from the overhead flourescent light. I'm hoping that can eventually go as well.

I know we kind of did things backwards here because we still have to paint and paper, but since the floor ended up being a gift, I can't complain. I absolutely love it but in case you are considering a black and white floor, be aware it is high maintenance. I sweep it a couple of times a day and we have to wash it at least every other day and some times every day. However, I'm happy that after 20 years I finally have the floor that I've wanted for so long.

Happy Anniversary, Hubby

2010-12-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

22 years ago today, hubby and I were married. We've walked the deep valleys and climbed the high mountains, but we continue on our journey. Happy Anniversary, Dwight.

Hubby and the Doe

2010-12-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

Just an update on what's been going on here. On Wed night/Thursday morning, a deer ran into the right side of hubby's van. He didn't see it coming until it was right there and bam...she ran right into the front fender. The impact was enough that it knocked her down. Hubby got out of the van and she was lying on the ground. She got up, shook her head and bounded off into a field.

The next morning, we reported the accident to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP.) The right fender of the van was dented until the right passenger door would only open part way. The headlight was broken and the signal light was hanging by the wires. We took it to the body shop and they gave an estimate of $2793 to repair it.

Friday afternoon, hubby had to take the van to the OPP accident center so the officer could see the damage. At that time the officer told him that around noon on Friday, the doe staggered across the field where she had gone, crossed the road on weakened legs and collapsed in the ditch at the end of a farmer's driveway. He called the OPP and the officer had to put the doe down because it seemed she had internal injuries.

Hubby is fine and the van will be as well once it is repaired, which should only take a few days. It's kind of sad that the doe had to suffer until noon the following day and that the accident took her life.

There is a huge deer population in this area and these types of accidents are common.

New Flooring

2010-12-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

This is what I wanted for a new kitchen floor. Everyone turned their noses up when I told them. ( Well, people in the real world) They said it would look terrible. The only one who could see my side of it was Mom. She said she thought it would work.

Mid-November, hubby and I went to pick out new flooring. We needed a couple of estimates. One of the stores we went to sent home samples. Hubby didn't think it would work, but when I laid the two samples on the floor side-by-side, he chose the black & white.

The grandsons came at two different times within the next few days and I asked both of them when I laid the samples down. They both voted for the black & white. Mom did as well. So, we ordered it.

Two weeks later, I phoned to find out why we didn't have a date for the flooring to go down. They'd promised it would be done for Christmas. The young man who answered the phone said the flooring had never been ordered and that I wouldn't be getting it in time for the holidays. I told him, oh yes, I think I will. Someone (the owners) were to call me back. Two days later, still no call. I phoned them again. The floor would be ordered that day.

By this time I was getting just a little annoyed. I kind of lost it but still tried my best to be pleasant. The lady who works there did phone me back that same afternoon and she told me it would be laid December 16th. No apology for not ordering the flooring on time, just the fact that it didn't get ordered.

I wasn't impressed. Because our place is so small, we can't put up one Christmas decoration until the flooring is down, as we have to move all the appliances and furniture into the living room. But...I am going to have it for Christmas. I will try to get both before and after photos.

Book Swap Partners

2010-12-01T19:03:00.001-08:00

I have closed the book swap and went to Random Generator. org to choose the partners. There were ten people who wished to join. They were:

1 Jojo
2. Paula
3. Denise
4. Sammi
5. Midlife Mom
6. Jackie
7. Pea
8. Barbara H.
9. Melanie
10. Mary

The partners are as follows:

Jackie and Paula
Jojo and Melanie
Mary and Sammi
Midlife Mom and Barbara H.
Denise and Pea

I will be contacting everyone with their partners name and website.

3rd Annual Christmas Book Swap

2010-12-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

*This is a sticky post and will remain at the top until December 1st. Please scroll down to read my regular posts.

For the last two years, I have hosted a Christmas book swap. It's been so successful that I'm going to host it again this year.This will be loads of fun, just as it was last year. We must get the books in the mail by December 7th to be sure that everyone receives their book before Christmas. So I'm going to make the deadline to sign up December 1st. This will give me time to partner everyone, gather the addresses and let everyone know who their partner is. I've extended it a couple of days to see if anyone else would like to join.

Now for the rules. The books have to be Christmas books, either fiction or non-fiction. Christmas decor and cooking magazines are fine if your partner agrees. Talk to your partner and find out the type of books they like and then send them a book or magazine that they can enjoy. Please do not send books that are not Christmas oriented unless it is included as an extra surprise.

Please, if you sign up, be sure that you send a book. What a disappointment to sign up for a swap and receive nothing after you have done your best to send your partner a book that they will enjoy.This was a LOT of fun last year and I hope you will join in. Everyone is welcome. Just leave a comment saying you'd like to take part. You must either have a blog or leave an email address where I can contact you and of course I will need your mailing address.
Blessings,Mary

THE BOOK SWAP IS NOW CLOSED!

2010-11-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

I saw something over at Betty's Country Charm that brought back memories of a different time in life. I hope Betty doesn't mind that I share it with you.

Both Mom and Grandma had a clothes line when I was young. At a very young age, as soon as I could reach the clothesline, I was taught to hang the clothes out to dry and then bring them back into the house. This gave the womenfolk time for other chores. This is what I was taught.

THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES:
(If you don't know whatclotheslines are, better skip this.)
1. You had to wash the clothesline before hanging any clothes. Walk the entire length of each line wiping the line with a damp cloth.

2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first.

3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail! What would the neighbours think?

4. Wash day on a Monday . . . Never hang clothes on the weekend, certainly not Sunday, for Heaven's sake!

5. Hang the sheets and towels on the outside lines so you could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts & busybodies, y'know!)

6. It didn't matter if it was sub-zero weather . . . Clothes would "freeze-dry."

7. Always gather the clothespins when taking down dry clothes! Pins left on the lines were "tacky!"

8. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that each item did not need two clothes pins, but shared one of the clothespins with the next washed item.

9. Clothes had to be off the line before dinner time, neatly folded in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.

10. IRONED? Well, that's a whole other subject!

And this little poem also stirred up a few pleasant memories. Thank you, Betty.

A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two. For then you'd see the "fancy sheets" And towels upon the line;
You'd see the "company table cloths" With intricate designs.
The line announced a baby's birth From folks who lived inside -
As brand new infant clothes were hung, So carefully with pride!
The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed,
You'd know how much they'd grown!
It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.
It also said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare!
New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy and gray,
As neighbors carefully raised their brows,
And looked the other way . . ..
But clotheslines now are of the past,
For dryers make work much less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess!
I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line!
Author Unknown

I still use my clothesline if I can, though now I have to climb a steep set of stairs to access it from the upper deck. Still, there's nothing so pleasant as the fragrance that comes from the fresh air when clothes are hung out to dry.

I also find it relaxing and good exercise to hang clothes on the line. If there's a brisk breeze, towels couldn't be softer. How times have changed.

Christmas Angels

2010-11-28T23:37:00.000-08:00

I have been visited by Christmas angels before in my life, but this year, the angels are at work early. They knew that we needed a new set of winter tires for our van. The ones that were on there were in very poor condition. The front ones were worn badly on the outside because we hadn't been able to get the van aligned. The back tires more or less racing slicks. They had absolutely no tread left on them and the one on the left rear had had a plug put in it last summer when we found a screw in it. After that, another screw in the same tire, so another plug. Hubby was having to pump up that tire two to three times a day. I was thankful that we had one of those tire pumps that plugs into the cigarette lighter. It made pumping up the tire easy as well as free. Most places here charge $1.50 for air.

Well, we made an appointment to take the van to get new tires. It was going to put a real financial burden on us. However, when it came time for hubby to pay $630.96 for the tires, the manager at the garage told him it had been taken care of. We were stunned. Who would have paid for a complete set of tires and an alignment, plus the $20 disposal tax that is on tires here in Ontario?

We asked the manager who paid for it, but he told us that the person wished to remain anonymous. Who would have done that? We hadn't seen anyone in the garage or the store attached to it who we knew.

We still wonder and will always wonder who paid for those tires. Another Christmas angel story to add to my memory book.

2010-11-27T18:11:00.001-08:00

It's less than a month until Christmas. The time is passing quickly. So much to do. So little time. It's the same every year. Instead of the holiday creeping up on us, it speeds our way, leaving us a little stressed wondering how we're going to get everything done in time.

Yes, I have a lot to do. But I've come to the conclusion that none of it really matters. What is important is to enjoy good health and the love of family and good friends. If the house isn't perfect, so what? Another year will pass and it will be Christmas once again. Maybe next year I'll be ready, but I doubt it. LOL

Health Update

2010-11-26T20:07:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling better than I have in years. Amazing what a difference a quadruple bypass can make in the way you get around on a daily basis. For years there were so many things I couldn't do and I was tired all the time. Now, I have energy. I'd almost forgotten what it was like.

Today I had an appointment at the cardiologist's for an echocardiogram. This is actually an ultra sound of your heart. I saw and heard it beating on a monitor and it was pretty amazing. I've seen this before when my daughter had one in her teen years. It's even more amazing to see your own heart. It seemed to be working well.

The technician said only that the measurements were all in order, which means, as far as I know, that my heart isn't enlarged. I will get further results from the cardiologist himself when I see him on December 14th.

So, for the time being, all is well and I really don't expect any different. It's nice to have energy, be able to walk without feeling like I'm going to fall flat on my face and carry on with some of my responsibilities around here.

2010-11-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my friends and readers in the USA. Enjoy the love and laughter of family and friends and give thanks for abundant blessings.

Things Are Looking Up

2010-11-13T20:11:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted again. Been busier than a one-armed paper hanger for the last week or so. Along with my Etsy business, I've started to try to get my house in shape for the holidays. It's really gone downhill since my heart surgery.

Jordan came over yesterday (Friday) after school to help out and stay overnight. We had hamburgers for supper and then he helped me organize the vintage items that I sell on Etsy. We tore boxes apart and put other things in boxes, labeled them and then ate a bag of popcorn and chilled.

This morning we relaxed a little. He enjoyed a couple games of chess on the computer while I read the newspaper and had my morning coffee. Then we went and picked up Brandon and then the work began.

Hubby and Brandon loaded some boxes in the van to take to the dump. I'm a bit of a pack-rat and this stuff needed to go. They moved out the stove, fridge, washer and dryer and cleaned under them. Jordan washed down the appliances. I went through some drawers and sorted all the stuff. Found Canadian Tire money, lots of junk that went straight into a garbage bag, some things I had misplaced and my old student's card and license. The boys got quite a kick out of seeing Grandma in her younger days.

So, the kitchen is looking much better and so is my living room. Still have a long way to go before our new kitchen floor gets laid. The old one has been in this house since we moved here and it is worn all the way through in some places. I'm ashamed to let visitors come in the house. We picked a black and white one-piece flooring that looks like tile. I'm going for a retro 50s look. The walls and cupboards will be white and the trim red. I started this in the spring when we installed the dropped tile for the ceiling, but then had the heart attack and subsequent bypass surgery, so haven't been up to doing much since.

I paid for all that I did today, but it was worth it. Things are looking good.

What I've Been Up To

2010-10-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

I've been really busy lately and life is hectic. I would love to live in a small town where life was easy and there was no hustle and bustle. I don't think it's possible in this day and age. I think everywhere is probably the same. If the phone isn't ringing, there's someone at the door or there's appointments to keep and errands to run.

Anyway, that is not my idea of a good time. I like things quiet. So, when hubby is not here or when he's resting, I take a little time for myself, relax and create things. Let's take a look at what I've been up to.

The postcard in the photo above is handmade. Yes, I made it from scratch. First I scanned one of my vintage postcards, then printed the image, made a postcard blank and fastened the image to the postcard. It has been sealed to prevent damage by inclement weather. This was a really fun project.

I've also been making greeting cards. The one above is a half fold card, which means it is only folded once and it's on 11x8.5 inch cardstock. It is a blank Christmas card and there is lots of room to write a lengthy message to someone who you haven't seen in a long time...or, if desired, I can put a verse in it. I enjoy making cards and this image is also scanned from a vintage postcard from my collection.

The other thing I enjoy making is ceramic tile coasters. This is one of my Christmas tiles. It is also scanned from a vintage postcard, cropped to fit the tile, then adhered to them. I make them in sets of four but can always make more if anyone desires more than that. The tile are coated with several coats of sealer and then a finishing coat to give them extra protection. They are so much fun to make and I've made several sets as gifts. Everyone loves them.

So that is what I've been up to when I haven't been online.

My computer was down a week and a half ago and had to be taken into the shop. They got it up and running but didn't get it completely fixed. I phoned yesterday and they will have it all day tomorrow. The computer guy says he suspects the video card may have to be replaced or possibly the computer is overheating. Say what? This computer is not even a year and a half old. I've had a lot of trouble with it. I will never again buy an AC*ER computer. The best computer I've ever had was my Dell.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week.

2010-10-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

Today is my dear friend Pea's birthday. Drop by Pea's Corner. She's having a sock hop and it's so much fun. She would love to see you.

Pea, you're welcome to take a copy of this vintage postcard. Happy Birthday, dear friend, and many more happy, healthy years.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

2010-10-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

Canadian Thanksgiving is on Monday and this is our Thanksgiving weekend. Today I will be having dinner with my family and we will be enjoying turkey with all the trimmings. Because Mom has been in hospital and not well, we're doing it a bit different this year. Mom still wanted to have it, so everyone is bringing food. In the past, she wanted to cook everything herself. That's just no possible this year so she is cooking the turkey (her choice) and we're all bringing the trimmings.

We all have much to be thankful for this year. My brother is thankful he still has his son with him, even though he is still recuperating from the brain injury he got in a car accident in March.

I am thankful for my health. After 4 years of feeling terrible, I'm feeling great. The heart surgery was a great success and I am so thankful for that.

We are all thankful that Mom's stroke didn't leave her paralzyed or unable to speak, though her speech is still slurred. At least she can still communicate with us.

We're thankful for food on the table, a roof over our heads and the company of each other on this Thanksgiving weekend. There are so many people in the world who don't have even the bare necessities of life. We have much to be thankful for.

Some Great News

2010-10-02T14:48:00.001-07:00

This is a photo that was taken of Brandon just before his grade 8 graduation. He had just turned 14. Last year he went to high school and though he had always disliked school while he was in the elementary grades, he loved it. He worked hard and was moved from regular to advance math at Christmas and did an excellent job. He passed into grade 10 with a nice round figure for the year's average.

Last week he got a special invitation to attend the grade 12 graduation on October 20th. When I first found out, I was a bit baffled. Why would a grade 10 student be invited to a grade 12 grad.

Well, it seems my grandson made the grade 9 honor roll last year and he will be presented with a special award the night of graduation. We don't know yet how many guests he can have but I'm hoping I can go and see him accept his honor.

A Bit of an Update

2010-09-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been awol (absent without leave) yet again. I'm sure most of you know that Mom had a major stroke in August. She was in the hospital and they sent her home without care. I took her to a hospital out of town and she was there four days. Not only had she had a major stroke, she had urinary tract infection again.

When she got out of hospital, she went to my niece's (her granddaughter) out of town but wasn't to be left alone. Last Tuesday she was given the okay to go home. The neurologist told her she is one of the healthiest seniors he has ever seen. She takes very few meds and is very independent. She can drive and do for herself once again. He told her to go home and live her life normally.

Mom does still have a bit of a speech problem. It isn't as bad during the day but at night it increases...some nights to the point where you can barely understand her. It will be harder to know if she is having a stroke in future because her speech is already affected.

I'm sorry I haven't been able to get around to visit everyone. I am trying my best to get my life back on track but things continue to keep me away. Hubby has been sick all week with a cold & a fever and this morning I woke up feeling terrible. It seems he has been generous and given me a gift...yes, his cold. I was freezing all day today, coughing and sneezing.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Fall is officially here and our leaves are just beginning to turn. Have a great week.

Autumn Project

2010-09-09T01:43:00.000-07:00

In August, I decided to create some autumn art for my Etsy Shop. There's nothing like something unique and fun to decorate your garden. I spotted these garden rocks and decided to dress them up a bit.

Meet Mr. Ivy Boulder. He has so many wrinkles, bumps and lumps on his face that you can't help but smile when you see him.

Mr. Ivy seemed to be a bit lonely, so I gave him a wife. She would be great to add to a garden or patio for autumn and right on to Halloween. She has maple leaves for a hat, which is adorned with berries... artificial flowers for ears and a little bird has made it's home in the nest of leaves.

Just me being silly, but it was fun and they've had a lot of views online.

First Day of School

2010-09-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

It was the first day of school for our kids today. They always go back the Tuesday after Labor Day. It was a much nicer day today than it was over the long weekend. The weekend was cold, rainy and just plain miserable. Today there was a brisk wind, but a nice day all in all. This afternoon was warmer than I'm comfortable with.

Brandon was looking forward to getting back with his friends and was really quite excited about what grade ten would hold in store for him. Jordan was less enthusiastic. He is in grade eight and just wants to be out of elementary school.

About 4pm, the boys' dad called me to see if I had heard from Brandon. I hadn't. Seeing that he was dismissed from school at 3pm, I was quite concerned because he wasn't home. He should have been bussed just three doors down and in the house by 3:30. I tried to phone the school, the Board of Education and the bus company. No one answered at any of these places even though they are to stay open until 4:30. I was getting quite frustrated and decided to go looking for Brandon in case he missed the bus and was walking home. It is about 5 miles from the school to his place and the last time he walked it too him and his friends about 3 hours. I certainly didn't want him walking alone all that way, but couldn't see him doing that. He carries a cellphone in case of emergency and knew he would call someone if he had missed the bus.

Just before I went out the door, I phoned Jordan and he told me that Brandon was about 15 miles out of town...on the school bus. I couldn't believe it. I told him to have Brandon call as soon as he arrived home. When he did, Brandon told me that the bus driver was within about ten blocks of his house to drop other students but forgot to drop the kids from his neighborhood at their stop. He drove all that way out of town before he realized what he had done. Around 4:15, Brandon called home and told his dad where he was. All in all, there were seven teens missing from that one neighborhood for over an hour and no one in the education system to take the parent's phone calls. I'm thinking the bus driver should have radioed the company, admitted his mistake and asked them to call the parents to let them know where their kids were. It was a scary situation for a few minutes and I'm angry that the system is letting the kids and the parents down.

Just venting a little. So thankful that Brandon and the other teens were safe and sound, even if they were on a bus for an hour longer than they should have been. Counting our blessings.

Friday Night Sunset

2010-09-03T21:18:00.001-07:00

There was a beautiful sunset tonight. Love the pinks and mauves with the silhouettes of the trees.

Update on Mom

2010-09-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Mom has been released from hospital. They did an MRI and determined that she could be released if she could stay with someone. She choose to go to my niece's (her granddaughter's.) Her speech has been affected by the stroke. They're calling this one a major one and she has had a major stroke before that we had no idea about. She has had many mini strokes or TIAs.

She will be getting speech therapy and she has to see a neurologist. She still has a urinary tract infection and they didn't give her a prescription for antibiotics when she left the hospital, so our problems aren't over yet.

It's been crazy hectic around here and it's taking its toll. I'm tired. The stress of this year has been a little hard to handle, but what doesn't kill you makes you strong. By this point I should be super woman. LOL

One of these days I will have time to visit everyone and play catch up. I hope it is soon.

Update on Mom

2010-08-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of Mom when she was about 16 years old. In September, she will turn 83. Where do all the years go? I can remember when she was in her 30s and now I'm a 60 year old grandmother.

As my regular readers will know from my previous post, Mom had a stroke yesterday and they sent her home from the hospital around 6pm. I was horrified. They didn't do a swallowing evaluation nor did they check her out completely. Last night her speech was very slurred and she had a terrible headache from the new meds they put her on, which was a blood thinner.

This morning I called her and she was still slurring her words. She said she was feeling good but I was still concerned. As the day progressed, it seemed her speech regressed. My niece came from out of town and we decided to take her there for another assessment. We went in about 3:30 and she finally saw a doctor, who ordered a urine test, blood tests and more.

The results were not good. Stroke...and four previous ones...we knew only about two and urinary tract infection. Mom was in hospital for 3 weeks this spring for urinary problems and we thought they had them all cleared up. However, we found out differently. So, they are keeping her for at least a couple of days and she's not happy. She was very emotional and angry at us for taking her, but she is where she will be taken care of.

Please keep Mom in your thoughts and prayers. She is going through a difficult time right now. This has been quite a year for the entire family.

And So It Continues...

2010-08-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

This has been quite a year for us. My regular readers will know that it's been tough ever since March. For those unfamiliar with these events here is a quick run-down...

March - My nephew, Josh, was in a car accident and suffered brain damage. He is still in the hospital's rehab unit. He was able to spend a night last weekend with his father and tonight he's staying with his mother. They're hoping to get him in a group home by September and are thinking about allowing him to spend the Labour Day weekend at his Dad's.

April - I had a heart attack and within a week was in hospital for quadruple bypass surgery.
A week after I came home, Mom went into the hospital and was in there 3 weeks. Since then she has been getting stronger and finally getting back into her daily routine, with a lot of coaxing and reassurance from us that she CAN do it.

June - My friend of 36 years found out that the cancer in her jaw that was surgically removed in December '09, had spread to her lungs.

July - On the 14th of July, my friend passed away from the fast growing squamous lung cancer.

August 26th - Remembering Dad who died 29 years ago.

August 27th - Mom had a stroke this morning and was taken to hospital. They released her at 6pm but they shouldn't have. She still can't talk properly and may never do so again. All of her speech is slurred, as if her tongue was swollen. The ride side of her face droops. She should have been in hospital under observation for 48 hours, but told us we had to take her home. She can't be left alone until Monday.

And so it continues. It seems the entire year has been one thing after another. And life goes on...

What's Happening

2010-08-26T08:57:00.001-07:00

Not much has been happening around here and I'm finding it very difficult to find something to blog about. There has been a little news of Josh. He has been allowed to leave the hospital on a day pass to spend time with his Dad (my brother.) He is still having a lot of issues and will continue to spend time in the brain rehabilitation unit at the hospital. They are working with him daily and are hoping that, if he adjusts to being with his father, that he will be able to get a pass for the Labor Day weekend. That is good news.

They are also talking about transferring him to a group home in mid-September. There he will learn to live on his own, possibly. They are not sure how long it will take him to master that, but here's hoping he will be able to eventually.

The boys are doing great and Brandon is looking forward to returning to high school. He will be in grade 10 and will be taking more academic subjects first term. That doesn't excite him but we've explained if he does it, then it will be over for this year. He understands that but really likes the hands-on experience of the shops much better. He aced out on his advanced math with a grade of B. He got 79 and B+ is 80. He was a bit disappointed but we told him B is a decent grade.

Jordan on the other hand is going into his last year of elementary school. He isn't at all excited. I told him just do his work to the best of his ability and then next year he will be in high school and he will like it much better.

Mom is doing great. I've actually coaxed her into sewing a few things. She told me she didn't think she could do it and I assured her she could if she took it a little at a time. Now she has made herself two new pheasant cushions for her living room for the fall season. Yay! for Mom. She will be 83 in September. We thought she had given up, but she's getting her independence back and is driving again, taking herself wherever she wants to go.

The weather was hot & humid last week, but has been nice this week. We had rain over the weekend & Monday but the last three days have been beautiful with no humidity and a cool breeze.

Hope everyone is doing great. I'm gearing up for Christmas shopping season on Etsy. It will be an interesting fall.

Sunday

2010-08-15T18:49:00.001-07:00

I thought Sunday was to be a day of rest. LOL Well, this morning was quiet, but this afternoon, hubby and I went shopping for Jordan's birthday. He had showed me exactly what he wanted...a chair for himself. We saw it last week when we went to Sta*ples to pick up supplies. I talked to his mother about it and neither she nor I could figure out why a 13 year old would want an office chair for his birthday, but then Jordan has always been different than most kids.

Hubby and I went and got the chair and took it to their house. Brandon and hubby put it together in about 20 minutes and Jordan was beaming. You'd thought he'd received a million dollars from the look on his face. Where was my camera? Home. Dang, I would have loved to have had a picture of that.

We came home and hubby laid down on the couch. A storm was moving in and it was too hot and humid to do anything outside. I read for a while and then had a little nap of my own. We had burgers and corn on the cob for dinner and since then I've been crocheting some dish cloths.

A very quiet Sunday. In the next few days I will try to post some of my most recent projects so you can see what I've been up to.

Have a great week.

What's Been Happening

2010-08-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I was doing so well blogging on a more regular basis and then suddenly life got in the way again. Seems my SIL, the boys father, is going to have surgery on August 20th for his Crone's Disease. Not good at all. He has suffered for years and now it is getting worse. They're hoping to do it laproscopically, but the surgeon has told him that he may have to go in surgically. So we will see how that goes.

Last year hubby and I planted a hibiscus. This spring he told me it had winter killed but I told him to wait for a bit because I saw a green shoot in among the old stalks. Sure enough, it began to grow. I can't believe how big it is after only one year. We counted the blooms the other day and counted 61. Jordan counted them on Thursday and counted 80. He may have counted some twice. Here are a few photos of what it looks like.

Not much other news except for the fact that it's been hot & humid here. August is our hottest month and this year it's been extremely humid.

I will try to get by and visit everyone who commented on my last post. Just don't know where the time goes.

Grandson News

2010-07-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't written anything about the grandsons for a while and some have been asking. They are doing great. They both did very well on their school year. Brandon was in his glory in high school. Loved all the shops that he takes and got promoted in the last semester from regular to advanced math. He did well with that and is looking forward to new experiences in the fall. Jordan also did very well last school year. This will be his final year of elementary school and he's also looking forward to high school.

Both boys have grown a lot and Brandon is now 5 feet 11 inches...the tallest in our family. He loves it. Jordan has grown in the last year but he will be short like his father. That doesn't thrill him as he'd like to be tall. Don't we always want the opposite of what we have?

Both of the boys have been doing yard work this year and earning a little money. I think it's terrific and they are learning how to manage their finances. Brandon is a saver and has already saved enough to buy a Wii. Jordan is younger, not making as much and likes to spend his as fast as he gets it. Of course when Brandon was his age, he did the same, so hopefully Jordan will learn.

Today Brandon mowed our lawn and Jordan weeded the flower beds. He did a fantastic job. I'm still not up to weeding and never really planted anything this year, so no annuals. We do have a few perennials blooming. I miss taking photos and blogging about my garden. We did plant some tomatoes and peppers this year, but that is all. We didn't go to extremes because I wasn't able to do it.

Today I sat on the porch and watched a sparrow pecking around on the ground in the area where Dakota plays. I couldn't figure out what she was doing, but then dog hair began to accumulate in her beak. I couldn't believe how many she picked up and when her beak was stuffed full, she flew away to her nest. It's amazing how much they can carry.

Glad to be back in blogland. I'm hoping to get to visit many of you soon.

Getting Back to Normal

2010-07-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to get things around here back to normal. I'm doing a little more, cleaning some things that haven't been taken care of since my heart surgery. Hubby tried his best, but just don't do things the way I do. So this morning, I took dust cloth in hand, cleaned out a couple of cupboards that had become badly disorganized and spent a few hours putting things back to normal. After that, I was tired. I can't believe that I can't do more but do know that heart bypass surgery knocks your socks off. So, I will attempt to do a little each day and try to get things straightened out a bit.

I'm doing okay health-wise, although my blood pressure has been zipping up and down. For those who know anything about blood pressure readings, mine was a bit low at 106/57. I wondered why I didn't have any energy and that was why. A fill-in doctor told me I was on way too much blood pressure medication and cut it down a little. That seemed to work for a while but then my blood pressure went up to 160/77. The top figure was too high and that made me a little anxious, which made it go to 170/80. This all happened in a matter of two days and then it was down again to 140/60. Not sure why it's doing that, but I'm wondering if the hot, humid weather is a factor. I know it can be, but don't want to assume.

I need to go for some blood tests. My appointment at the cardiologist last week to have a sonogram (ultrasound) went well. I have not heard anything from the cardiologist, so either the test results aren't back or everything is fine. It would be nice if they notified me either way.

But life is moving forward. Hubby has been having some tests of his own and he has to go for more, so we will see where that leads.

I hope all of my friends and readers are enjoying a pleasant and safe summer.

Summer Fun

2010-07-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

It's time that I posted about something that is fun. Jordan stayed over Sunday and after dinner, he took Dakota out in the yard to play. Dakota has a plastic newspaper toy that squeaks. It was given to him by a neighbor. He loves it. He also likes to throw things down the terrace and have somebody throw them back to him.

Jordan throwing the newspaper called, "The Doggy News," up the terrace to Dakota.

Dakota surprised Jordan by leaping high into the air and catching it.

Jordan threw the newspaper a second time...over Dakota's head. By the time I could snap the photo, Dakota had disappeared outside of the frame. He brought back the newspaper and he and Jordan continued their game of fetch.

Dakota throwing the newspaper down the hill to Jordan. He only throws it when he is good and ready for Jordan to have it. As the play progressed, he began to give it up a little easier each time.

He scrambles to get it when Jordan throws it and often tries to take it right out of Jordan's hand before it is thrown.

Sometimes he becomes a bit obstinate and won't give it up. He tried this on Sunday night and Jordan decided he'd take it away from him. Dakota was determined that Jordan wouldn't get it and they had a little game of tug-of-war. Who will the winner be...

And the WINNER is, Dakota.

They had a blast and played this game for about an hour and a half. They were both tuckered out when they came in for the night. Neither of them was long going to sleep after they went to bed. Great exercise for both of them.

Jo Ann has Passed

2010-07-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Jo Ann passed from this world on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at approximately 6:50pm EST. She had been sleeping a lot during the day, due to increased morphine. She was comfortable. She opened here eyes and passed very peaceably on to the next world.

I am fine with this. We said our goodbyes on Tuesday when we had a few moments alone. It was a melancholy moment that is forever etched in my memory.

Thank you to all who prayed that her passing would be gentle. It was. May she rest in peace. On day we will see each other again.

What's Happening with Jo Ann

2010-07-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

My friends and regular readers will know that my friend, Jo Ann, is terminally ill. She has refused treatments of chemo and radiation because the cancer was stage 4 before it was found. The cancer has now moved to her bones, liver, stomach and lungs. Originally, it was only in her jaw.

Friday night she had terrible nightmares and ripped her intravenous and feeding tubes out. Saturday night she had a good night but Sunday night she once again ripped out her intravenous and feeding tubes. She doesn't want any more nutrition and told the nurses she's had enough. They have increase her morphine and she can take it whenever she needs it. She is not in pain but the doctors have told her family her body is shutting down.

Because of body shut down, they have moved her to pallative care. I'd like to thank you all for continued prayers. Please pray she won't suffer any pain and that she will pass over peacefully.

Update on Jo Ann

2010-07-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today I went to see my friend, Jo Ann. My regular readers and blogging friends will know that Jo Ann has terminal cancer. She had surgery for cancer of the jaw last December and in June they found that she had stage 4 lung cancer. The cancer continues to spread. It is now in her bones, her liver and her stomach. I can see her failing each time I go to see her. She is getting nutrition intravenously and she can now administer her own morphine whenever she needs it.

Jo Ann's time here is very limited and she is quite aware of the fact. She has signed a DNR form and has refused chemo and radiation. The cancer is so far progressed that she figures it would only prolong her pain.

Please pray that she will pass away peacefully and that the pain will be minimal. I will try to keep you updated.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying.

Christmas in July

2010-07-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

We've all heard of Christmas in July and this month Etsy is having a Christmas in July sale. Though Etsy is only sponsoring it for one week, many sellers are celebrating the entire month, including myself.

Now is a great time to do a bit of Christmas shopping. Not only are Etsians offering Christmas items, they are offering some great deals on regular items.

The Item of the Day thread is another great place to get deals on Etsy. Drop by the thread and check out the beautiful items being offered by very talented artisans.

With our heat wave, which has brought temperatures of over 100 degrees F to southern Ontario, it's kind of nice to think of Christmas with the cooler temperatures. Hope everyone is keeping cool.